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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. last — to go on
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mark — a trace
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. last — finally
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. roll — a list
  15. foot — a measure
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mark — a grade
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. kid — child
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. last — final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com